TEHRAN- Iran was placed fourteenth among the other world’s steel producing countries in 2015, the World Steel Association (WSA) said in its latest report.  

Iran produced 16.110 million tons of crude steel in 2015, a decrease of 1.4 percent compared to its crude steel output in 2014 which amounted to 16.331 million tons, the Fars news agency reported on Wednesday as quoting WSA’s annual report.

The country’s crude steel output stood at 1.300 million tons in December 2015, showing 4.6 percent drop from 1.362 million tons in December 2014, according to the report. 

World crude steel production for the 65 countries reporting to the WSA was 1622.8 million tons in 2015, indicating a 2.8 percent fall from 2014. 

China, Japan, and India were the three biggest crude steel producers in 2015, with 803.8 million tons, 105.2 million tons, and 89.6 million tons of output, respectively.

According to Iranian Ministry of Industries, Mines and Trade, Iran’s crude steel output is projected to increase to 18 million tons in the current Iranian calendar year (which will end on March 19). The figure is to reach 55 million tons by 2025.      

According to WSA, Iran was the biggest producer of crude steel in the Middle East in 2013. The country’s rank was 14th in the world in 2014.

Iranian Deputy Industry, Mining, and Trade Minister Mehdi Karbasian said in last July that the country’s annual crude steel exports is planned to reach four million tons in the current Iranian calendar year. 

He put the weight of Iran’s crude steel exports at 2.5 million tons in the past calendar year. 

SJ/